By Clare Howard

The federal government is retrenching from science-based wetland protection following the flawed 2023 Sackett v EPA decision, but states, including Illinois, are stepping forward with protections of their own based on scientific facts, research, and democratic values.

Wetlands fight for everyone in society, not just the wealthy and petroleum-based interests.  

The “Illinois Rewilding Law,” cosponsored by Illinois Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, and Illinois Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, went into effect Jan. 1 and codifies rewilding as a conservation strategy for restoration of ecosystems. The law acknowledges the powerful help wetlands provide for combating climate change. We know the science: reducing erosion, filtering toxins from water, mitigating floods, sequestering carbon, fostering biodiversity, reducing the threat of drought and wildfires.

Illinois has a unique role in this issue. The state’s largest city, Chicago, is built on wetlands. The state has lost 90 percent of its original wetlands. The Union of Concerned Scientists reports the Sackett decision that enabled the loss of federal protection for 1 million acres of Illinois wetlands could cost homeowners, municipalities, and businesses $750 million annually in flood damage.

The Illinois Rewilding Law empowers the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to pursue projects that restore land to its natural state, reintroduce native species and restore ecological processes. The law has been labeled a first step that is “largely symbolic,” but it’s through symbols as well as science that we understand the world.

Wetlands teach us how to see beyond the stereotypes, how to think beyond trite ideology, how to value beyond dollars, how to marvel at the magic of the natural world. Wetlands teach about hope.

If hope seems naïve during this second Trump Administration, look to wetlands. A marsh that was diked, drained, and doused with toxic agriculture chemicals for 100 years waited with hope. It began to reemerge when the dike was breached, water was allowed to reclaim its old channels, and toxic pesticide applications were halted. 

Helping restore and maintain wetlands helps everyone in society. The “good of the commons” helps everyone in a society. The “tragedy of the commons” helps some extract benefits at the cost of the many.

Clare Howard is the author of In the Spirit of Wetlands with photographs by David Zalaznik released in 2022 by University of Illinois Press. She is the author of Wisdom of the Marsh with photographs by David Zalaznik, released in April 2026 by Syracuse University Press. She will talk about her new book at our Group meeting on June 10th.